Shield



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1,438,109, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. H. HALE.

sumo. APPLICATION FILED JULY [2;1921- I 1,438,109, Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

2 $HEETSSHEET 2.

SW53, BANK PRQTECHON AND RELATED DEX/E653.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

' UNITED STATES Sraiisman PAENT OFFIOE.

FRANK H. HALE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS H. SCHBIDER, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SHIELD.

Application filed July 12,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK I-I. HALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shields, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shields of the class designed to serve as a protection from bullets and other missiles and has as its general object to provide a shield which will effectually deflect a bullet regardless of the angle from which the same is fired and which, in a portable embodiment, will be light in weight and adapted to be conveniently carried about in a position to protect the user and yet not interfere with limb movement.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the shield that its protective surface may be made of sheet metal of relatively light gage which, were it not for the peculiar formation of the surface, would not under all conditions be proof against penetration by bullets, the result being that the shield may be made sufliciently light in weight to adapt it to be conveniently carried under conditions where its use is required as for example in riots or raids, attacks in warfare, and under similar conditions, the shield being also useful to automobilists in event of attack by highwaymen, and to railway mail clerks, and others similarly employed. In a semi-stationary embodiment the shield is also highly useful in protecting bank clerks and others who may find need for it under similar employment.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the shield that the user thereof may be afforded a view of the objects in front of him without however exposing the head to gun fire.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a semi-stationary embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of a portable embodiment;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4: is a perspective view illustrat- 1921. Serial No. 484,159.

mg the manner in which the shield shown in F igures 2 and 3 is to be carried in front of the user;

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of F igure 2.

The shield embodying the present invention comprises a front plate indicated in general by the numeral 1 and a back plate indicated in general by the numeral 2. The front plate 1 comprises wings 3 which meet at the vertical front of the device as a whole and which are disposed in rearwardly diverging planes at an angle of 90, more or less, as best shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. The front plate 1 may be stamped from a single integral sheet of metal of a suitable gage, or the component wings 3 thereof may be initially formed separately and united at their meeting edges. In any event each wing 3 will be formed with a number of transversely extending corrugations 4 which may be of the angular form in cross section shown in Figure 3 of the drawings or may be of curvilinear form in cross section. Thus each wing presents at its forward side alternate ridges 5 and valleys 6, and as a consequence neither wing presents, at any portion, a flat surface against which a bullet, fired at any usual angle, would be liable to strike in a right angular direction. It therefore follows that a bullet striking the shield at any portion of the surface of either wing will be deflected in one direction or another and will not penetrate the wing even though the wing or the front plate comprising the same be formed from metal of such thinness that it would ordinarily be pierced by a bullet if the surface presented were a flat one. Therefore by forming the wings with the transverse extending corrugations, it is p0ssible to form the front plate from metal much thinner than could otherwise be employed, and therefore the shield will be proportionately lighter in weight.

In order to strengthen the front plate 1 the upper and lower edges of the wings 3 are provided with inwardly projecting flanges 7 and 8 which are respectively turned downwardly and upwardly at their rear portions as at 9 and 10 to meet the adjacent corrugations 4 as best shown in Figure 3. The front plate is further strengthened by the provision of a frame disposed against the rear side thereof and comprising vertical side pieces 11 and angular top and bottom cross pieces 12 and 13, the latter being secured in any suitable manner to the rear sides of the flanges 9 and 10, and the lateral margins of the wings 3 being likewise secured to the vertical portions 11 of the frame.

The back plate 2 above referred to is preferably formed from a single integral sheet of metal of suitable gage and is transversely arcuate and disposed within the angle of the rear side of the front plate 1 and secured in place at its vertical edges by any suitable means as for example bolts 14 which are passed therethrough and through the vertical members 11 of the reinforcing frame. These same bolts may also constitute the means for securing the said portions of the frame to the lateral margins of the wings 3 although the side members of the frame, the lateral or vertical edges of the plate 2, and the lateral margins of the wings 3 may be all united together in any manner found expedient. The plate 2 is preferably of the same height as the front plate 1 so thatits upper and lower edges are located opposite the upper and lower edges of the front plate 1, and inasmuch as the plate 2 is of transversely arcuate form and it is arranged with its convex side presented to the rear side of the front plate 1, its concave side is adapted to conform more or less closely to the body of the user of the shield when the shield is held close to the body in the manner illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. In order that the shield may be conveniently supported when it is of the portable type, one or more handles may be provided upon the rear side of the back plate 2, and in the structure illustrated in the drawings a vertically disposed handle 15 is secured upon the back plate near the upper edge thereof, and a horizontally disposed handle 16 is secured upon the said plate near the lower edge thereof. It will be understood however that the handles may be otherwise arranged and that various forms of handles may be substituted for the forms illustrated in the drawing.

In order that the user of the shield may have a more or less unobstructed view of the objects in front of him, when the shield is held in position to serve as a protection for the head of the user as well as the body, one of the wings 3 is formed as for example at the ridge 5 of one of the corrugations 4, with a sight opening indicated by the numeral 17 and the back plate 2 is formed at a point directly opposite the opening 17 with a similar opening indicated by the numeral 18, this construction being illustrated most clearly in Figure 3 of the drawings. It will now be evident that inasmuch as the openings 17 and 18 are in alignment, the user of the shield may obtain a view of his surroundings through these openings, and because of the disposition of the openings, and particularly the opening 17, and the small size of these openings, there will be {practically no possibility of a bullet passing through both openings to cause in jury to the user.

While ordinarily there will be no likelihood of the front plate being penetrated by a bullet, even should this occur the force of the bullet would be spent after passing through this plate and before reaching the back plate 2 so that it would be lacking in momentum suflicient to enable it to penetrate the latter plate. However owing to the peculiar formation of the surface of the front plate 1, it is not likely that this plate will be penetrated.

The shield, when of the portable type, will be carried in front of the user as illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings but the shield may be employed as a semi-stationary guard or barrier as for example in the manner illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings in which figure the shield is illustrated as provided at its lateral margins with flanges 18 slidably received in upright guides 19 secured for example at their lower ends as at 20 upon the floor in rear of the desk and window 21 where a bank clerk or other attendant to be protected, will be stationed. Normally the shield, in this embodiment, will occupy the lowered position shown in Figure 1, and in order that it may be quickly slid upwardly to an elevated and protecting position, a foot operating means is provided and comprises a foot lever 22 pivotally mounted as at 23 upon the floor and provided at one side of its pivot with a pedal 24 which may be depressed by foot so as to swing the other end of the lever in an upward direction, this latter end of the lever being formed with a slot 25 receiving a stud 26 which projects from the intermediate portion of a cross bar 27 secured transversely of the lower portion of the back plate of the shield. It will now be evident that while the shield normally occupies, by gravity, the lowered position shown in Figure 1, depression of the pedal 24 will serve to immediately elevate the shield to a position where it will protect the attendant from assault by one in front of the window 21.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A shield of the class described comprising portions diverging from the vertical middle of its front in a rearward direction and provided with transversely extending corrugations.

2, A shield of the class described compriswe. ems, can: PRQTFTEN mammal AEQDBELAIEU Dill/l S,

ing relatively angularly disposed forward wings, and a back plate supported at the rear of the wings in spaced relation thereto.

3. A shield of the class described comprising relatively angularly disposed forward wings, and a back plate supported at the rear of the Wings in spaced relation thereto, the wings being provided with transversely extending corrugations.

4;. A shield of the class described comprising a front plate embodying wings 0ccupying planes diverging in a rearward direction from the vertical middle of the said plane, the said wings being provided with transverse corrugations, and a back plate located in rear of the front plate in spaced relation thereto.

5. In a shield of the class described, a front plate, and a back plate supported in spaced relation to the rear side thereof, the said plates being provided with oppositely: disposed openings.

6. In a shield of the class described, a transversely corrugated front plate, and a back plate disposed in spaced relation to the rear side of the front plate, the front plate being provided at the ridge of one of its corrugations with a sight opening, and the back plate being provided with an opening located opposite the first mentioned opening.

7. In a shield of the class described, a front plate comprising wings disposed in planes diverging rearwardly from the middle front of the plate and provided with transversely extending corrugations, and a transversely arcuate back plate disposed within the angle of the rear side of the front plate and having its convex side presented forwardly and its concave side rearwardly.

8. In a shield of the class described, a front plate comprising wings disposed in planes diverging rearwardly from the middle front of the plate and provided with transversely extending corrugations, and a transversely arcuate back plate disposed within the angle of the rear side of the front plate and having its convex side presented forwardly and means upon the rear side of the back plate whereby the shield may be manually supported.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK H. HALE. 

